Welcome to Day 24 - I am late posting. I had a lot on my plate like preparing for Colin's (belated) birthday party, which is going down tomorrow night. It included purchasing a new mattress for one of his hockey teammates who will stay as an overnight guest, getting groceries and baking vegan cupcakes.
So again, I'll keep this one short, leaving you with a life nugget that recently happened.
This post's title is "The Blanket, not a Sequel" because it is not based on a completely different story I told you the other day.
I was at my favorite rooftop terrace self-service restaurant. I told you all about in in April.
You grab a plate, help yourself at the buffet, take your tray to the cashier where they weigh your plate. You pay, you pick a table, you sit down, you eat. Sounds straightforward, right?
It was a semi-warm afternoon, and I thought why don't I sit down on the (conservatory-like) non-smoking terrace. a folded woollen blanket was draped over the back and seat of a chair, and I thought what a nice and thoughtful gesture by the restaurant crew to leave them out for guests!
I had just started to enjoy my lunch, my back covered with the blue blanket, when a woman came at me like a fury and hissed “that's my coat”.
I was stunned. Firstly, because she was really rude, and secondly - excuse me? This ugly thing is actually a piece of clothing? Who wears something like that? If I had to walk around like that, I, too, would probably be angry with people who had made an honest mistake ;-)
Although I had to suppress my laughter, I kept a straight face and apologized profusely to the lady.
She just said “I'm sitting here”, then went back to the buffet.
She spoke Swiss German, but her attitude reminded me of German hotel guests who have a reputation for putting their bath towel on a deckchair before breakfast to make it clear that this is their territory.
It was clear that I had to vacate my seat and sit somewhere else. During the meal, I kept trying to make eye contact with her, but she deliberately ignored me.
She wolfed down her food sitting in the "queen chair", stood up, put on her blue “coat”, strutted over to my table, pointed to something behind my back and said in an icy tone “these are the wool blankets!”
I turned around and said cheerfully “OMG, yes, of course, now I can see the difference. Again, I'm very sorry.”
I had to control myself so hard that I didn't laugh out loud. Nothing had happened to her precious coat, I had apologized, what else could I do?
Without another word she left, and I couldn't help but cheerfully call out to her to have a nice rest of the day.
Thoughts?
OMG, I love how you told her to have a nice day, I would have said the same thing! Don't stoop to their level, keep a friendly and positive feeling even it laughing on the inside. But my thoughts are hoping Colin has a fantastic birthday celebration and you make it through the night with a child another year older! LOL
ReplyDeleteWow. This is a fascinating sociological study as well as a tasty (I hope?) lunch? I wonder what has made her so fussy.... and I also appreciate your notes about the different types of German spoken.
ReplyDeleteYou are a better person than I, clearly, because after all that hostility, I would have let her see a little of my amusement in my facial expression, and would have likely said, "I sure hope the rest of your day is better," and in my tone, she'd have heard the unspoken, "because you're acting like a fool!" It's like there's a time limit with me. At 1st, I might apologize profusely, but if you don't respond well, eventually, you will know you should have.
ReplyDelete